A FRUITFUL SEASON OF ALIYAH

BY ANASTASIYA GOODING

The year 2021 is quickly turning into one of our most fruitful seasons of Aliyah ever, as the ICEJ has already sponsored flights for over 880 Jewish immigrants since January. This includes a group of 302 Ethiopian Jews who landed in February, a flight with 226 Jewish immigrants from across the former Soviet Union who came in March, and then a third flight with 102 olim (newcomers) from Kazakhstan who just arrived in April.

This is remarkable when you consider it has happened during a time of corona lockdowns and travel bans, including the first-ever closure of Ben-Gurion Airport. But thankfully, they have been able to make the journey home to Israel on ‘rescue flights’ arranged by The Jewish Agency for Israel and sponsored by the ICEJ.

Many of these new arrivals were planning to make Aliyah last year, but were delayed by lockdowns in Israel. Some had already sold their homes and quit their jobs but were left in limbo when Ben-Gurion was completely shut down in January and February. Yet the skies are now opening back up, and the ICEJ is in a position to help bring home an expected surge in Aliyah to Israel.

Many of the Russian-speaking immigrants also needed lengthy connecting flights, traversing up to eight time zones from across the former Soviet republics, before boarding the final fourhour flight to Tel Aviv.

Among the 226 Jews who arrived in March were Ksenia and her daughter Emilia. They came all the way from Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan, and will be settling into a kibbutz in the Negev desert as part of the “first home in the homeland” program. Ksenia has a master’s degree in land use engineering and hopes to see the Negev bloom.

Ksenia has always dreamed of making Aliyah but every time she tried, she constantly ran into delays. Last year, amidst the corona pandemic,

A grateful Jewish family on their way from Kazakhstan to Israel in April.

her mother and younger sister managed to arrive in Israel, which motivated Ksenia to finally make it to Israel as well. After making all the needed preparations, Ksenia and Emilia were scheduled to come in November, but then Ben-Gurion Airport went into lockdown and they were forced to wait once more. waited for several decades in transit camps to be reunited with their families in Israel. In making Aliyah, they are answering an ancient biblical call to return to their homeland which has carried down through many generations, and the ICEJ is thrilled to take an active part in this prophetic mission.

With no hope in sight, they became discouraged until they heard the amazing news that a ‘rescue flight’ was scheduled to leave from Moscow on March 15. After much perseverance, Ksenia and her daughter finally reached their new home in Israel.

The Christian Embassy has now supported Aliyah flights for over 880 Jewish immigrants since the start of 2021, including some 502 Ethiopian Jews as part of “Operation Rock of Israel.” Most of these Ethiopian immigrants “Supporting Aliyah is one of the core missions of the Christian Embassy, and this season of the corona pandemic has actually been one of the most critical phases of our four decades of involvement in bringing Jews back to their homeland”, said ICEJ President Dr. Jürgen Bühler. “Indeed, corona has given added meaning to the calling of Israel to be a ‘safe haven’ for the Jewish people.”

There are still thousands of Jews waiting to make the move to Israel. Interest in Aliyah is dramatically on the rise, as many Jewish families worldwide now view Israel as safer health-wise and better positioned for economic recovery than other countries. Israeli and Jewish Agency officials anticipate up to 250,000 new Jewish immigrants to arrive over the next three to five years.

Since we were founded in 1980, the ICEJ has assisted more than 160,000 Jewish immigrants to return to Israel from all around the world, and this is a work which is continuing to expand in 2021. Please help us bring more Jews home to Israel in the days ahead by supporting the ICEJ’s many Aliyah efforts.

Ksenia and Emilia were determined to reach Israel DONATE TODAY AT: on.icej.org/aliyah

MEET THE ADDIS FAMILY

BY ESTER HEINZMANN, ICEJ-GERMANY

As Aliyah continues, we want to acquaint you with some touching life stories of the new Jewish immigrants making the journey to Israel, starting with the Addis family from Ethiopia.

It has been 20 years since Yaliganesh last saw her mother Nana. Back then, Nana and her three sons left their home village of Gojam and moved to Gondar to await permission to immigrate to Israel. Nana’s other four children, including Yaliganesh, remained in Gojam, with some preparing for marriage. After waiting nine years in Gondar, Nana finally received permission to make Aliyah. “We were so happy”, her son Kafale remembers.

But then they received bad news: only the mother and three sons could come to Israel. “They told us: ‘You go now, and once you’re in Israel, the others will follow’”, Kafale remembers.

In the years that followed, three more siblings were able to make Aliyah, but not Yaliganesh. “I cried so much when they left for Israel and today, ten years later, I am still crying”, she says. “I couldn’t even say goodbye to them.”

Her entire family has suffered from the separation. “My mother is totally devastated”, says Kafale. “For 20 years she has been separated from her daughter. She’s never seen her four grandchildren.”

As a young man, Kafale tried to help Yaliganesh make it to Israel. After his military service in the IDF paratroopers, he travelled to Gondar and was shaken by the conditions his sister faced in the transit camps. He found Yaliganesh living in a small mud hut, with no electricity or running water – like most Jews in Gondar. For years, Yaliganesh stored away her few belongings in suitcases – always ready for her journey to Israel.

Last November, Yaliganesh finally received permission to make Aliyah. “I will be so happy to see my family again. It feels like a dream,” she smiled.

Her family in Israel also was excited. “At last, the time has come. After 20 years of tears, we can embrace her and let out all this longing”, said a relieved Kafale.

In December 2020, Yaliganesh and her family arrived in Israel on an ICEJsponsored flight, and she was finally able to hug her mother Nana!

MEET THE SHALAEV FAMILY

BY ANASTASIYA GOODING

Leonid Shalaev, along with his wife and two children, arrived in Israel on a ‘rescue flight’ sponsored by the ICEJ on March 15. Leonid’s arrival was marked by a long-awaited reunion with his brother, who had already made Aliyah to Israel.

Leonid was born into a family who had lived for several generations in Kamchatka, in the Far East of Russia – a long 5,600 miles distance from the Promised Land. As a young man, he moved to southwest Russia to study at the Polytechnic University. There, he met and fell in love with Irina, who became his wife. The young couple decided to move back east to Vladivostok, a port city on the Sea of Japan. They soon welcomed the birth of a son, Savely, and daughter, Polina. Yet despite now having a family, Leonid was not ready to settle down in the Far East.

“We had a dream to live in a warm climate. I also always dreamed of becoming a computer programmer. And I really missed my brother, who now lived in Israel”, Leonid shared. “Israel makes all dreams come true!”

From then on, Leonid started pursuing his dream to reach Israel. He and his wife began to study Hebrew. He also prepared for the entrance exam to Tel Ran, a computer programming school in Israel, and was accepted last August.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly, and in November 2020 the Shalaev family received their entry visas to Israel. But then Ben-Gurion Airport was completely shut down for the first time in its history. “This was such a disappointment, and we didn’t know what to do,” recounted Leonid. “We had already quit our jobs and sold our apartment.”

“And then, we got the best news ever that we would fly with the whole family to our dream – our new home in Israel!”

This door suddenly opened when the ICEJ stepped in to sponsor a ‘rescue flight’ for 226 Jewish immigrants from across the former Soviet Union, including the Shalaev family.

“Thanks to all those who helped make this flight happen! Many thanks to you all,” said Leonid.